North Village Block Party- April 20th (save the date)

Civility- Can you live by it?

Civility is something that has been talked about a lot on Furman's campus.  What is civility though?  According to Dictionary.com civility is defined as: 

1.  courtesy; politeness.

2. a polite action or expression: an exchange of civilities.

3. Archaic . civilization; culture; good breeding.

Have you lived you life civilly?  This is something that will be important throughout your life, something that you will have to master, especially when you leave Furman.  Below is a breakdown of what civility is and why we should care about it:

"Civility is an authentic respect for others that requires time, presence, willingness to engage in genuine discourse and intention to seek common ground. Civility matters because treating one another with respect is requisite to communicating effectively, building community and creating high-functioning teams. Without civility, we miss opportunities to really listen and understand other points of view." 

(http://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.com/pages/vol36_1_clark2_civility.aspx)  

I know that some people think that you cannot have lively debates if you want to be civil.  But I want to say that that is not true.  You can definitely have debates about issues and conversations with people, but conduct them in a civil way; a way where you are not yelling at each other and really respecting each other’s positions and beliefs.  

Below are some steps that you can take to have civil conversations with people and to live your life with civility.  If you keep these in mind you will be able to live by civility, which will be necessary for you to succeed in life.  

Respect Others - Honor other people and their opinions, especially in the midst of a disagreement.

Think Positively - Keep an open mind and assume others have good intentions.

Pay Attention - Be aware and attend to the world and the people around you.

Make a Difference - Get involved.

Speak Kindly - Choose not to spread or listen to gossip.

Say Thank You - Let others know they are appreciated.

Accepts Others - Our differences are what make us interesting.

Rediscover Silence - Keep noise to a minimum.

Listen - Focus on others in order to better understand their points of view.

Keep Your Cool - Accept life's challenges with grace.